Lions downfall is cautionary 'tail' for Seahawks

Skimping at guard and center could cost you a chance to win during your window

Bears head coach Ben Johnson was praised for several years as the NFL’s best play caller during his tenure as the Lions offensive coordinator from 2022-2024, but a notable shift between what’s been working in Chicago that’s gone defunct in Detroit is less about Xs and Os and more about Cs and Gs.

The Bears just had a center named to the Pro Bowl roster for the first time since Olin Kreutz in 2006, and their first guard to make the Pro Bowl since Cody Whitehair in 2018. Both Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney were high-profile offseason acquisitions in 2025, is that perhaps just as much of a reason for Chicago’s quick turnaround from 5-12 and 32nd in total offense to 11-4 and 4th in total offense going into Week 17?

Take heed, Seattle Seahawks: If you lose Klint Kubiak to a head coaching job in a month, that transition at OC may not be as important as the moves you make in the offseason (with or without Kubiak) to address your biggest weaknesses in 2025.

The Chicago Bears owe a lot to Johnson’s play calling, but to what degree did Johnson only agree to take the job if management was willing to spend the resources necessary to give him the players he needs in the trenches to run the ball and protect the quarterback? Why did the Bears improve from 27th in yards per carry to third in yards per carry?

It’s not all because of Kyle Monangai, I’ll tell you that.

On Thursday, the Detroit Lions were officially eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Minnesota Vikings 23-10. Less than a month after the Vikings lost to the Seahawks 26-0 when they started Max Brosmer, Minnesota was able to rally together another win (their fourth in a row) and this time did it with the undrafted free agent out of New Hampshire.

Brosmer only had 3 net passing yards, but still…it happened.

So how did the Lions get here? Last season, Detroit went 15-2 and led the league in scoring. This year, they’re 8-8. They still score a ton of points. Their defense is worse, but it’s not that much worse and it wasn’t that good to begin with. Yeah Jared Goff is not a great quarterback—how is that a revelation after 10 years in the league? He’s the same Goff.

Injuries? There were no bigger injuries in 2025 than when the Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson in 2024. And they won almost every game without Hutchinson.

Losing both coordinators (Johnson and Aaron Glenn) must have had an impact too, but let’s not overlook the only two starters on offense who didn’t return in 2025: Center Frank Ragnow and guard Kevin Zeitler. Ragnow had made four of the last five Pro Bowls prior to retiring in 2025, while Zeitler was a Pro Bowl alternate a year after making the roster in 2023 and left in free agency to sign with the Titans.

One Lions fan wrote this as the reason for Detroit’s slide:

“Lions had this disastrous season because they have lost their identity in the trenches. They bullied people for 3 years and didn’t do enough on the o line in the offseason to continue that. They couldn’t stop the run game to save their life the 2nd half of the season.”

Detroit’s answers to the losses of Ragnow and Zeitler were Christian Mahogany, a sixth round pick in 2024 who had made one start as a rookie, and Tate Ratledge, a second round rookie who many Seahawks fans thought might make his way to Seattle if the team didn’t get Grey Zabel. Those young players filled the voids at guard, while veteran Graham Glasgow moved inside to center where he has a lot less experience.

Observations of the Lions offense this season highlight that despite still ranking fourth in points scored, they’re not the same fearsome offense that they had been the past few years:

And this is not meant to be a condemnation of someone like Ratledge as a player or a prospect at guard or center. He’s a rookie and relatively speaking he seems to be a good one. And just like Zabel, bringing in a rookie to start means that you’re taking the risk of having a lot of bad plays to overcome along with the positive moments. Zabel is a huge upgrade over Laken Tomlinson and a shining beacon of hope for Seattle’s offensive line future.

Ratledge may be the same for the Lions.

The Lions may also feel good about Mahogany, I’m really not that sure, and he’s missed six games this season with injury. That could also be a part of the issue, but it brings up the same sort of questions in mind that many Seahawks fans have about players like Anthony Bradford, Jalen Sundell, Christian Haynes, and Olu Oluwatimi:

We see positive moments from all of them (yes, including Bradford) but are these “discount versions” of the type of acquisition that could actually help give the Seahawks the best offensive line in the NFL?

Going back to the beginning, like the $14 million salary that the Bears were willing to spend on Dalman as a center?

Or the bold decision that Chicago made to trade for Thuney and pay him all the money that he’s owed ($16m guaranteed next year) to play guard? Or the less-heralded move to do the same for Jonah Jackson at right guard in an offseason trade with the Rams?

In one year, the Bears improved from 25th in rushing yards to SECOND in rushing yards.

Yeah, Chicago paid a lot of money for it — and who knows if it will carry over into the playoffs or 2026 — but the Bears also weren’t willing to take the same risks with unproven rookies/rookie contract players that the Lions (and Seahawks) did and while those moves could pay off for Detroit and Seattle eventually…we can probably all agree that the Seahawks are overcoming their guards and centers to win more so than winning because of them.

In losing their last three games, the Lions have rushed for 153 yards. Total. That’s almost as many as they had per game in 2024.

The Seahawks know that they’re not the same scared rushing team that they were under Ryan Grubb last year. In fact, they’ve gone from 29th in rushing attempts to eighth, sometimes even choosing to run at their own peril. Seattle has actually dropped from 17th in yards per carry to 27th.

But by committing to the run, the Seahawks may find out what mistakes they need to learn from next week — and next year — as the coaching staff and front office makes decisions on which offensive linemen are here to stay and which ones could stand to be replaced.

The only question I would have left there is:

Are we really so certain that John Schneider doesn’t still believe in his decision to be committed to Bradford, Haynes, and draft picks Bryce Cabeldue/Mason Richman, just as he believed going into this season?

Can we be sure that he won’t commit to this plan again in 2026?

Or would the Seahawks, like the Bears but not the Lions, be open to exploring the free agent and trade market for a right guard (and/or center, which I know that many fans don’t see as a major issue…but I also can’t guarantee that the team won’t move Zabel there in 2026 either) who isn’t just someone who “might” be an upgrade. Could they go looking for a pricier option that almost certainly “would be” an upgrade?

The Detroit Lions believed in their scouting and coaching to make the transition to new guards and centers and offensive coordinator(s) without having to spend a lot of money. Maybe that decision will pay off in the long-term, but it has held them back in 2025.

The Chicago Bears…well, they didn’t believe in themselves as much. And look at them now? Winners of the NFC North, a dangerous rushing team, winning in spite of mediocre QB play, and still in the running to take the number one seed.

I know the moral of the story is to believe in yourself, much like the Cowardly Lion, but maybe sometimes it’s smarter to just take the potion from the Wizard instead. Liquid courage is still courage.

Should the Seahawks admit they could do better with a little bit of spending or trust they’ve made the right choices already and just need to give them a little bit of time?

Seaside Joe 2489